In 2016 the Paris Agreement on climate change entered into force addressing the need to limit the rise of global temperatures. The agreement gives a clear recognition of the important role of forests and sustainable forest management in meeting the climate targets.

The current talks, which are aimed at agreeing the implementation rules for the Paris Agreement, address the issue of land accounting as part of the information to be provided in countries’ emission reduction pledges, called nationally determined contributions (NDCs). However, the discussions on accounting rules for CO2 emissions and removals by forests have been slow to progress over the past two years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement.

Meanwhile, EU Member States, Commission and Parliament are in the final negotiations on how to account for CO2 emissions and removals from the land sector in the Union, in the critical proposal on land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF), which will integrate the sector into the EU’s 2030 climate policy framework.

Relating to the vast climate benefits of forests, the Nordic Council of Ministers presented a new brochure in the Nordic Pavilion at COP23. The brochure presented the climate benefits of Nordic forests with the main message: keep forests growing, harvest mature forests, use the wood for products that can replace fossils, plant new trees and continue the cycle.

UN Climate Press Release can be found here.